The purpose of this study is to understand the family planning needs and practices of postpartum Malawian women, with a focus on long-acting reversible contraception (LARC).

Hypotheses:

Postpartum women who are older, who have a history of unintended pregnancy, who do not desire another child within 2 years, and who were counseled about LARC during their pregnancy are more likely to have interest in using LARC.

Postpartum women who are older are more likely to be aware of LARC methods.

HIV+ postpartum Malawian women will have similar knowledge about LARC as postpartum Malawian women who are HIV-.

This study is a prospective cohort study of 630 postpartum Malawian women. Since our focus is on HIV+ women, HIV+ participants will be recruited in a 1:2 ratio, with a total of 210 HIV+ women and 420 HIV- women. We will recruit in the postpartum ward of Bwaila Maternity Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi. Participants will complete a baseline survey about demographics, reproductive health history, and family planning knowledge, attitudes, and practices. At 3, 6, and 12 months postpartum, we will complete follow-up phone calls to determine what family planning methods they are using and if they encountered any barriers to receiving LARC if they had been interested in using them.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:

18 Years to 45 Years (Adult)

Genders Eligible for Study:

Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

No

Sampling Method:

Probability Sample

Study Population

Our study population will be a sample of 210 HIV+ and 420 HIV- postpartum Malawian women.

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Admission to the postpartum ward at Bwaila Maternity Hospital

Live birth ≥28 weeks gestational age within past 4 weeks

Fluent in English or Chichewa

Age 18-45 years

Access to a working phone number

Willingness to be contacted by phone for up to one year postpartum

Exclusion Criteria:

History of female sterilization via tubal ligation or hysterectomy

Prisoner

History of mental disability

Serious illness that would prevent participation in the opinion of the Principal Investigator

Contacts and Locations

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below.
For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01893021

Locations

Malawi

Bwaila Maternity Hospital

Lilongwe, Malawi

Sponsors and Collaborators

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

John E. Fogarty International Center (FIC)

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

Investigators

Principal Investigator:

Jennifer Tang, MD, MSCR

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Study Director:

Mina Hosseinipour, MD, MPH

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

More Information

Responsible Party:

Jennifer Tang, MD, MSCR, Research Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill